We finally got the match we were all waiting for at Asian Games 2023: League of Legends Team Korea versus Team China, where LPL and LCK players took the stage to face off against each other.
The catch? They met in the single-elimination semifinals, with only one chance to advance.
Sweeping China 2-0, Team Korea booked their spot in the finals, leaving China to fight for bronze in the third-place match.
The games weren’t a stomp, however — the Chinese representatives even led in game two — but could not close it out against a heavy-scaling team composition led by Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk’s Zeri.
Team Korea versus Team China ends in an unexpected outcome
Team China utilized Renekton to put pressure on their opponents in game two. Together with Maokai and Rell, they drafted Tristana mid and Jinx bot for a double AD carry composition.
Team Korea’s draft on the other hand, went full scaling with Jax, Sejuani, Taliyah, Zeri, and Alistar.
By 13 minutes, Zhao “Elk” Jia-Hao’s had a perfect 2/0/2 KDA and a 150 gold bounty as China led 4 kills to one.
Using Taliyah’s wave clear to their advantage, Team Korea played defensively and kept themselves in the game. By the 20-minute mark, they had evened up the kills, as Ruler came online with two kills and a 250 gold bounty.
Scaling well into the late game, Team Korea won fight after fight at objectives, and eventually secured Cloud Soul. One last fight at Elder Dragon at the 36-minute mark was all they needed to ace their opponents for the 2-0 sweep to advance to the finals.
Fans are already congratulating them for winning gold because they overcame their rivals in the semifinals, and it’s unlikely they’ll be challenged in the finals. Players who bring home the gold will receive military service exemption from the South Korean government.
Fans similarly expect Team China to win the third place match to secure bronze.
At Asian Games 2018, these two juggernauts met in the finals, where China, led by Jian “Uzi” Zi-Hao, defeated Korea 3-1 to take gold.
Where to watch League of Legends at Asian Games
League of Legends matches for the main event are streamed on AfreecaTV’s channels (A, B, and C channels) and on Bilibili.
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